Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Lisa Kudrow Returns Again

Episode Date: March 16, 2026

Lisa Kudrow feels still really good about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.   Lisa sits down with Conan once more to discuss the unrelenting optimism of her character Valerie Cherish on the newest season of The Comeback, remembering the wonderful Robert Michael Morris, the evolution of their friendship over the last forty years, and much more. Plus, David Hopping relives his experience seeing the Backstreet Boys at The Sphere.   For Conan videos, tour dates and more visit TeamCoco.com. Got a question for Conan? Call our voicemail: [phone]. Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link: https://siriusxm.com/conan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi, my name is Lisa Kudrow. And I feel still really good about being Conan O'Brien's friends. Is this a day-to-day thing with you? Still, every day, I take a walk. And then I go, wait, how do you feel about being Conan O'Brien's friend? Fall is here, hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell, brand new shoes, walking lose climb the fence books and pens I can tell that we are going to be friends can tell that we are going to be friends

Hey there welcome to Conan O'Brien needs a friend joined by well no Matt gorely right now He's still out on paternity leave yeah it's been six years now these run on paternity leave This child just joined the army um good to have you here uh David hopping great to be here and um and Sona of Sessian, of course, as always, you were late today. Yes. We just taped an interview that you weren't here for. What happened? Was it a little bit of a snafu?

There was a little bit of a snafu. What happened there? It wasn't in my calendar. So if it's not, I'm like, you know, if it's not there, I don't know it's happening. Is this a physical thing you write in, a physical calendar? What do you mean? Like I have a calendar and I write in it with my, like a pen? Yeah, it's got like, you know, a fireman with no shirt on.

Oh, like a calendar. That's the kind of calendar I picked you having. You probably like a sexy guy calendar, right? That's a digital one. But then there's other calendars that get sent that do have it on there, and I didn't pay attention to those. There was a show about male dancers that you were obsessed with. They weren't dancers. Oh, they were jigilos.

They were jigloos. You were obsessed with jigilos. Did you have a jigolo calendar back in the day? I did have a jigolo calendar. And every month. And see, this is why I asked you, I picture you having like a jigolo calendar or a shirtless fireman calendar or now a heated rivalry calendar. Yes.

Yeah, baby. Okay. And then the problem is you get so distracted by the hunks that you don't write things down. Every time you go, oh, I'll write down. I've got to be in there for that interview for the podcast. And then you look up and it's one of the shirtless hunks from heated rivalry. And you go, ha, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, bab, ba, bab, ba. And then you forget.

And you just write blither, blather, blather. Yeah, or I just drool all over it. And you draw butts in the calendar? Oh, my God, I draw butts. But maybe that's my system for putting things in my calendar. Yeah, two butts means I got to get into the podcast. Three butts means I've got to go see my orthopedic surgeon. Yes, it's my butt code.

Yeah. It's the butt code for my calendar. Look, but then also today. And then you use different things. There's some butts. There's some penises. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Six butts and two penises is Mikey and Charlie need to get their shots.

This is her system. The ancient Inca's used knotted strings instead of recorded language and it worked fine. Sona uses a series of butts and dicks. Yes. And in a certain order. And, I mean, when you published your version of King Lear, it was fantastic. People are going to look at my calendars

thousands of years from now. And they're going to be relics of butts and penises. And then people are going to worship the altar of the butt penis. It exactly explains the solar system and the movements of the sun. Yes.

I think so. I think it's a very special system. Anyway, so I went to a workout class this morning. Anyway, aside from my ancient incan or Aztec calendar of butts and dicks. Yeah. Onward.

So butts and dicks calendar. Then I went to work out this morning and I was driving somewhere and then I got a text from Blay, which is one of the scary texts to get when you work. He's like, where are you? What's your ETA? And I'm like, oh, I'm supposed to be somewhere right now. And then I called and I found out. But I look like shit.

You look like you went to the gym. Yes. Look at me. Look at my hair. I think you were great. What's the problem? Shut up. No, no, no, no. I mean, thank you. No, I feel like I'm really wishing you didn't have so many subscribers on YouTube right now.

Okay, so here's the thing. I want to know what your workout is because in the whole time I've known you, you've never said to me I'm off to the gym for my workout. Yes. You've never done that. I don't. So what do you do? What is a workout? Today was the first workout I went to. I didn't know that. Yeah. This is gold. I'm a prosecutor who just happened to ask a question. and you said, well, when I purchased the murder weapon and committed the murder, I thought today would be the day that I'm going to go work out. Where? Where?

I did a spin class at SoulCycle in Pasadena. Shout out, give me, no, don't give me some class. I'm probably not going to go back. I was really, it really, I suffered throughout the entire thing. Okay, so, also, I picture you like yelling back at any instructor. If they say, okay now, ladies, let's go. No. We're going up a hill now.

You're like, fuck this. I'm not going up a hill. I was saying it under my breath. I was like, shut up, bitch. Shut up, bitch. As she was talking and telling people what to do. You're not allowed to yell at the instructor. Yeah.

I'll cut a bitch. Yeah. But I wanted to. And the whole time I was like, stupid, why am I doing this? I want to watch TV. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Like, I was taught, I had an internal monologue that was so not what you should have when

you're in a workout class. I hated every second of it. Did you have, while you're working out, is there a big container of red vines in front of you that you're eating while you're... Yeah, like six calories out, like 12 calories in. Someone's feeding it to her? Yeah, yeah. You bring an assistant to feed you red vines.

Well, I'm glad you're here and... Yeah, I'm sorry I missed the interview. Don't be sorry. I mean, yeah, you would have had fun. Yeah. But... I know. I like two, you interviewed and so I'm bummed.

I'm sure I'll interview, you know, Barack and Michelle Obama again soon. It was Cher. Yeah. It was Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Cher. Oh, my God. Oh, and the survivors of the band, Queen. But you know what? We'll do it.

It was really fun. We got John Deacon included and he doesn't even do anything with the band anymore. You know what? Everyone was here. It was really fun. But you wouldn't have loved it. Yeah, I took your seat. Yeah.

Oh, and this great hummus place sent in some food. But next time that happens, we'll be here. Everyone's laughing it up. The hummus place, huh, guys? You like that one? I hate everybody in this room. This is hilarious when I introduce this guest. It just always cracks me up because we've been friends literally forever.

And she is one of my absolute favorite people in the entire universe. She stars as Valerie Cherish in season three of the hilarious HBO series of The Comeback, which people are so psyched for this. So excited. So psyched for it. She is one of my closest friends. I adore her. And I love when she comes on the podcast.

Lisa Kudrow, welcome. I mean, we've known each other forever and got started together, as everyone knows, in improv, in 86. And it's still a day-to-day thing with you. I never know. I never know. I'm hot and cold. I'm still good with, there have been whole years where I've been out. But at the moment, I'm in, which is fine.

And we'll see how it goes. That's not true. The, the, it's the other way around. Yeah, I know. What? Where did that come from? Look, in the 2000s, I just turned on you. Now, we were just, it's funny because, I mean, you came in here and you started being really funny and we're just laughing and we hadn't even like turned on the microphones yet.

And it just always feels strange when I say, hey, my guest tonight is Lisa Kudrow. because we had dinner. Last week. Yeah, with my wife, Liza, and you, and Michelle could not be there because he refuses to die in with me now. Right. And he was out of town. I know, he was out of town.

We're just trying to start trouble. No, yeah, anyway. But, yeah, we had a blast. And so it's so funny when it's formalized this way a little bit. And it used to be worse, not worse, because you were always great, but when I would say, when I had a band. And it was on TV and he'd be like, all right, here she comes. Lisa goes.

And you'd come out and you get, you know, the dress and I'm bowing to you and then getting behind my seat. Hi, Conan. I would just flash back to you and I in a DuPars diner in the late 80s going, here's a funny idea for a skit. Yeah. Well, we both got to get back to our day jobs. Oh, yeah.

So it's. Your day job was writing. Yeah. At least I had a decent, yeah. Yeah. And you were slinging hash. At the headache clinic. at the headache clinic, which was giving, why were you slinging hash at a headache clinic?

I don't know. You said slinging hash. I wanted to be a good improviser. Yeah, that was good. That was good. Now it's a very funny scene. A hash slinging headache clinic. Exactly.

Yeah, I'm delighted that you're here. People get very excited when you come. Huge fans here. And so Paula Davis, who we were just talking about before the mics came on, who's with me forever, who's our booker, she is vibrating for, I would say, a month now, talking to me about the comeback and the new season of the comeback. That's what she was telling me. She's doing a rewatch of season.

But she's not the only one. I have so many friends that are telling me the comeback. And because they know that you and I go way back, people are asking me questions about it. I don't know anything. A lot of people from my life couldn't watch seasons one and two. They couldn't handle it. It was tough. And I think probably for you, even though you're too supportive to say it.

But my husband hasn't seen them. Do you know that? Really? I didn't know that. Michelle has not seen all of season one or all of season two. I think that's really sweet. I watched both of them and thought it was brilliantly funny, but because I'm such good friends with you and care about you, it's hard.

It's hard. I just don't even know what anyone is talking about with that. I can't. I'll tell you specifically. And it makes me nervous that something's wrong with my version of reality because you're not the only one. Right. It's like because they're so humiliated for her. Well, you play it and everyone here's, you play it so.

brilliantly close to the bone. And for me anyway, there was the character of the writer, Polly G., who was just so mean. And that actor did such a great job, especially in season one, he was so good at being a type of writer I know. Right. And it made me, but, you know, not supporting you at all, you know, making, just wearing away your confidence and so much anger and bringing so many of his own issues to that situation that because, I don't know, I've been in that world, it was hard. It was hard. It was hard. Just like, I told you I wanted to, like, fight him at one point. I said, I don't want to meet him because I think I want to hit him with a two-by-four. Right.

And the poor guy, he's a lovely guy and a terrific actor, but he needs a beating because... But listen, I mean, because we had a writer's room, the first season, and every one of them knew that guy. Yeah. So we weren't making him up. And the thing is, is that to me it was really obvious that this guy thought he was having a promising career. You know, we hear that he was a Simpsons writer. he won't an Emmy and, you know, and now he has this show, and then the network tells him, no, it has to be this. Oh, and by the way, just to hedge our bets, there's a companion reality show.

Yeah. And that would be enraging to any showrunner. Yes. And he is particularly asshole-ish, right, and has whatever feelings he has about her. Because she is annoying. She is sort of phony, and what do you do with that? and just shut up. Yep.

Right. Right. Right. And that's been a solid five minutes of me monologging, by the way. But to me it was really obvious, like what he's pissed off about. Yes. And, okay. No, no, that's fair.

I just, uh, there's a, there's a, there's a, and he's punishing her. Yes. But did she seem punished? Well, she's. Sona says no. No. She's like blissfully. almost. I wouldn't say blissfully. I would say Valerie Cherish is valiantly unaware.

Yes. There we go. But also, I think one of the reasons she's that way is she's not completely oblivious. She knows that she's hanging by a thread in this business. She knows that and you play it so well excruciatingly optimistic in a way that so forced because you know that this isn't all going your way and you're so thirsty. You really want to win that Emmy. You really want to. And what's amazing to me is that it really does capture something you see out here. You see it out here all the time is the big forced smile. I can't tell you how many times I pass a billboard and I see a big smiling face of someone

who's saying, it's all great. Right. And I know that person's miserable. I know they are. I've met them. I know, you know, and I see those faces all over the place because so many people aren't happy in themselves. Do you know what I mean? And so the smile gets bigger. And it, that's what you see a lot of. And I think Valerie Cherish is like the best character, in my opinion, that captures something that exists out here. And I do have a lot of. empathy for, but I also think she's not Peter Sellers as Clousseau. She's not someone who's oblivious. No. Things are, fires are, you know, she knows that, oh, here's the paparazzi. They're not shooting her. They're shooting someone she used to work with. She's trying to get to her. They're stepping on her feet. She knows that it's not going her way and she's pushing herself through the crowd. Yeah. I just realized. I just might be really mean.

Because that just made me laugh. Well, it's funny. No, it is. Not for her. I mean, I'm... Not for her. She thinks it is, but it hasn't. Like, yeah, I don't...

But it's this, it's a... I don't know, it's a really... But to me, she's, what she's doing is like, that's okay. Mm-hmm. Like, that's her mantra is... It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. That's what it takes.

You know, like, it doesn't matter. Yeah. And then... Because first, I was just making fun of her. Season one, to me, yes, I am mean. And I was making fun of that. And after we were done, I had a friend, and she's smart. This woman, her name's Marage.

She's really great. And she was saying, oh, but no. And she's Irish. So I don't know. Maybe you know her. Of course, yeah. I see her at the meetings. The community.

Once we reach for the same potato at the bowl, yeah. Oh, my gosh. It happens. Yeah. Just a bowl of tators there. There was a fight. But she said, no, isn't she wonderful? She's just, you know, she's so, you can't keep her down.

No, yeah. There's no one more resilient. No, she's wonderful. She's the strongest person I think I've ever seen. And I just went, huh? And then realized, yeah, because I don't feel bad. Right. Playing her.

I don't feel decimated when I'm playing her. because I am rejecting the rejection or the insult and turning it into something that she needs, that I need. Well, she doesn't say no ever. Right. She says, if they say, okay, now you've got a, you know, for this, I'm making this up, but if in the new season they said, okay, to promote this next project, we're going to,

you need to be covered in duct tape, and we're going to put bunny ears on you and you have to hop down Hollywood Boulevard, You'd be like, all right, well, okay. You know, I mean, you can do it. This is what we're doing. I guess this is what the kids want to see now. I don't get it.

Right. But you would do it in 120 degree heat. Yeah. And probably pass out, but she is intrepid. She's brave. Yeah. I don't know. And just I.

She wants what she wants. And whether you think that's a worthwhile goal. Yeah. Is another issue. But yeah, she doesn't give up. And there's something, I guess we like that. So here's something about... I guess we like that. I don't know.

All of a sudden, like Lindsey Vaughn flashed in my head. Everyone likes to come. No, but because I was thinking, why is she doing this? Yeah. You know, and then everyone likes a comeback and everyone likes... Yeah, no. I don't know. It seems dangerous.

And then... This just happened over the weekend. I don't know when this comes out. But Lindsay Vaughn crashed and I think she fractured her leg. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. But there is the reality to...

You know, she was really brave to make that attempt. But you're right, there's a high level of, there's a slim chance this will work out. Right. But that's what makes a comeback so incredible, the odds against it. And you can't have a comeback or do that if you're not just being optimistic and hopeful, hopeful against all odds against like what's like presented right in front of your face. Right. I don't know. But yeah, I don't know.

We do this every 10 years. Yes, this is what I wanted to talk about. You know. This is the thing. This is what I love. What's so unique about this show is I think the first one is... 2004 or 2004. And...

Came out five. Yeah. And you were kind of... I mean, it's... I think it's two years or something before keeping it with the Kardashians. It's like this is... Yeah. You were doing a satire or something that hadn't, I don't think, really formed yet.

Right. Then you come back. 10 years later. And now, which then commented on that moment, and I think few people would have the patience or the nerve to say, these come out once every 10 years, but it's really cool. Because now I have not seen a second of the third season,

but the idea that you can now drop in again a decade later, it's very unusual. It is, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. But I'm so, it's so great that we didn't get picked up that first season because it gets to be about something. Right. You know.

You surprised when it didn't get picked up? Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. I was surprised. Yeah. Why were you surprised? Just because it was really good. Thanks.

And you think, well, this will now get picked up. Yeah. Of course, I've been wrong about these things before. Yeah. I've had my own experience. But, but. Wait, what do you mean? I don't know.

But I think... You've only had an easy time. You're right. You and your privilege. I know. Never a bump in the road. What's nice about the world we live in now is shows used to go away all the time.

But now there's this world where shows can not get picked up. but they don't go away. And then you can have this audience build. And if you make, I mean, I've seen it with so many, like, party downs, an example of a show that I don't think was getting a lot of attention, but you can check in on it years and years later. And it's almost like the wire. You know, there are these comedy shows that, okay, didn't see it, didn't support it.

You check in much later on. I wasn't aware of Party Down. And then you see it and you go, oh, they've really, they've made a nice little Swiss watch here. Yeah. And it's just as good now as it would have been if I had tuned in the day it came out. And definitely the comeback had that.

Yeah. Where it was building and building and you probably experienced a lot of people when you're out at the supermarket. Oh, yeah. The supermarket is where all the fans of the comeback are. They are. They are.

They're there. You're there in the produce lane and you're there like, what about those melons? And you're like, I don't know. Hey, the comeback. But I go to a lot of supermarkets.

But you must have had that experience where you're hearing from people. Yeah. I love that. And so you didn't hear that necessarily from the people that made the show or broadcast the show. Right. But you knew I'm hearing from way too many people. Well, even when it was when we were on, we heard David Bowie got in touch with HBO because he was going to be on Tori didn't want to miss anything, so send him.

Wow. Whatever. You know, 2005 DVDs or whatever it is. Look, I'm looking like, I don't know. We don't remember, you know. Then you find out the other shows David Bowie wanted. No, he was. I didn't get the latest fear factor.

Where they eat shit. Can you have that one, please? You're like, David. But to, and then we fell like, oh, okay. Yeah, that's right. HBO, that's all they need to hear probably. And, you know, we had a lot of bad reviews because people didn't understand what they were seeing. Right. And then by the time, halfway through, there were revised reviews, like retractions and, and what does that happen?

Yeah, pretty real. So we've, and also our ratings, we were doing as well, if not better than entourage when its first season was. just the year before and went, all right, so great. And who else has shows that you don't, you've not seen this before? You don't really understand. And then you get to know what it is and embrace it and it's great. HBO, except they kept telling us, yeah, we're not, HBO's not HBO anymore. So I don't know. It's really got to, I don't know, we'll see. I don't know. And then it turns out, I only found out a couple years ago, there was one guy at HBO. that I don't know if I ever even met him in charge who was just like, we're not going to pick that up, right?

Yeah. Yeah. So, well, but I have to say, yes, it was a surprise that we didn't get picked up, but I didn't feel bad. Right. And I was in shock that I didn't feel bad because I thought, well, look, this is about the best I can do. And I think we did it about the best that it could be done. So I've got nothing to feel bad about. It's not my mistake.

Yeah. So I don't know. I didn't feel bad. Well, that's, I'm glad. Yeah. You should have felt a little bad. Oh, no. I'm just sorry.

I felt bad later when I think. As long as you felt bad at some point. No, I did. Good. Oh, no, don't worry. Good. Oh, I felt bad. No, no, like gut wrenching.

Yes. Like a hole in my inside. In your soul. Yeah. Yeah. Good. And my soul's inside. For good work.

Right. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. You'll have it one day, so no. I don't know. But it wasn't. But here's the thing.

It wasn't because it was canceled. It was because someone else, it was Bill Maher talking about something and jokes that don't land because, like, one joke. And it was famous. I don't remember someone making fun of someone who's marginalized or, you know, like a victim. And he was saying, look, you want to make fun of white men. You can make fun of white men all you want. because they've got the power. Yeah.

But don't make fun of that person or that thing. And I went, uh, women are still, you know, you can't make fun of women in that way. Like, you can't,

oh, no. They're just, it's too, they're too easily recognized as victims. Yeah. And I went, no.

I never thought of it that way. I'm such an idiot. Oh. I mean, because so much great comedy, I mean, Lucille Ball, you know,

Tina Faye. so many great on and on and on have made fun of themselves as women and it's brilliant. Yes, but this wasn't the same. This was like a man being cruel to her, and I thought, no, it's a writer, you know, giving a hard time to an actress. Like, why is that a big shock and horror? I mean, that's one. What do you think actors and especially actresses have put up with forever?

Yeah. You know? And haven't. I don't know. I don't know. No. But you proved me wrong. I take it back.

I'll never say it again. I get it. I get what she's saying. What do you give us your input here, Sona? I just think, I actually think it's part of the reason why she was so just kind of like, okay, just taking it is because she's used to it. I mean, that's how it's always been for it. Right. it's not going to change. Exactly. Yeah. So you've got a like here's here are the boundaries. Yeah. And so you just work within them around them. You know, that's all. Yeah. And I mean, look, I don't know if it's because I've, I don't know if it's, I never felt like, oh, I'm a woman and so, you know, I don't get to. I don't know. I mean, on some level, yes. Especially with this, it just didn't occur to me. It's like this isn't gender specific ambition or.

hopes and dreams. So it didn't occur to me that it would be an issue at all. And I think it kind of was that it was a woman. But now when you come back 10 years later and you do the second season, yeah, did you feel more assured that I know, I really know who this character is? I know there's a lot of fans. People are excited for us to return. Did it feel different? Kind of. I mean, it's a little scarier because then there's expectations. And what Michael Patrick King and I knew was it's 10 years later. She's 10 years older and it's going to be different. It has to be different. And you know, and then I just thought it was great that we had her win the Emmy. Yeah. For a performance she couldn't even appreciate in herself because she was stuck on how tired she looked in the scene. And

And I liked that a lot for her. And then, of course, the huge thing is that she, you know, leaves the Emmys that you hosted. Thank you. I got paid. Oh, you did? I told them you didn't have to get paid. That's, that makes me mad. It was validated parking.

That was my payment. Yeah. I'm kidding. But, I needed to say I'm kidding. It's disturbing when you'll say something like, yeah, and I hope something horrible happens to you, Conan, I'm kidding. I'm kidding, chills me more.

Oh, okay. Well, because it could be real. It could be true. I'm explaining in the joke. So I was really... To yourself. I was really sad about the character of Mickey. Yes.

The actor who plays, And the actor, Mickey. Robert Michael Morris. Yeah. And he was such a so terrific. And he completely nailed this kind of person that we all know, especially in this business. Someone who's been with you a long time is in your corner. And it's just all you were getting was, you know, undiluted support from him.

But. And of course, he's not. perfect, but I just, I was very obviously sad, you know, that he had passed and that character is just kind of note perfect, I think. Yes, he is. And also biting his tongue. Like, they had so many takes. He was sort of a little bit of a reality check sometimes.

So she's saying something and you're wondering, like, that's stupid, right? And then you, like, they switch over to Mickey who's looking confused or. Yeah. Why'd she say that? Yeah. Yeah. He was great. Yeah.

And that was a horrible loss. I mean, I couldn't even think about doing more for a really long time because we'd been talking about it and, you know, knew that it might be possible, you know, to do more. But, no, it took me a really long time to get over Mickey. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, he was great. And, you know, he wasn't, he was sick when we were shooting that season. And when our first day, we had to walk back and forth a lot somewhere, I don't know.

And he had to sit down and he said, I don't know if I can do this. And Michael Patrick King, you know, who knew him from college. That was his college acting teacher. And he came over and he just said, you can do it. Of course you can do it. And I said, yeah, and whatever you need. And he got, over the course of shooting, he got better and better and better. And his doctors said, what are you doing?

Because everything's good. Like the disease is not progressing. Yeah. Whoa. What are you doing? So I don't, it's that stuff. I love hearing stories about that happening, which. Because we don't understand.

it, but it makes 100%. We believe it. I believe there have been times where I haven't felt well, and then I've gone out and done a show for a really big audience, you know, to theater or something, and

I feel great afterwards. And you think, okay, this is adrenaline, but it's also community. I got my people around me. I'm getting all this positivity. You're getting this bath that is very, you know, life-saving.

Right. It's so I totally understand that. Yeah. I, right. I mean, look, if COVID taught us anything, well, taught us a lot of things. But to me, one of them was, boy, our immune systems are everyone's is different. And wow, it seems what activates it and what, you know, what helps it along and how much wellness is immune system and then other things, and we don't know.

To me, it just meant, oh, that's right. We don't know most everything about our bodies and our universe and everyone. We don't know a lot. Well, I get most of it, but. Okay. I'm sorry, I just do. You understand that stuff? Yeah, I do.

Oh, okay. Yeah, completely. Can you explain anything about the immune system? I don't think you would understand. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. But you know what I mean? It's just the level of.

what you mean? Yeah, I'm just thinking on like, I'm thinking in like the ninth dimension, you know, so there's only so much I can do for you, people. That's true. You know what's interesting. That's true. I just, I'm sorry, I'm a little bit honest and then, oh, it's all this. By the way, I mean, I think Conan is so smart that he could explain physics. No, not physics. Physics, I don't understand. You don't? No, I really don't. Did you ever take physics? No, I mean, I did in like high school, but I, I, you know, when they start saying, oh, time is, as a relative. Well, of course I understand that.

I'm the one who explained it to Einstein. Oh, okay. But no, there's so much I don't understand that it's... If I believed to that. Oh, okay. So that was you. Yeah. Went back in time and he was like,

who's this man? What are you doing in my patent office? Hey, E equals MC squared, buddy, and grow out a mustache. Oh, wow. And I look back to the future. That was Conan, you guys. Yeah. Your accent was spot on.

on. That was great. Can I hear it again? I'm trying to work in the patent

office. There we go. Okay. And I think, oh, who's this Irish lady?

I'm a dude, man. You look like Jane Lynch. Shut up. He knew Jane Lange. Time is relative.

Yeah. He just tried to explain it to. I don't even know. So here's interesting thing about you

is that you've experienced this real, this real victory in this space with the comeback, but you also got to experience that. Failure. Oh. No, no. That's where you were going. That would be great. Yes, yes. I don't know what you were doing before the comeback. It just didn't pop, whatever it was. No, my point being that you, with friends, you could arguably say you got to be in. the last giant communal TV, you know, mega hit that no one at the time realized this is maybe the last of these where everyone's going to watch this show and it's a cultural touchstone and this is where we all are watching these people go through this life. That was such a phenomenon.

and very few people get to be in the nose cone of that rocket. And you've had both these both very different experiences, but the success you're having now is the success of this new way of experiencing TV as opposed to the massive, you know, it's cheers level, happy days, massive. And I'm just curious, like you've experienced them both. and I don't think a lot of people have. That's got to be unusual.

Yeah. I'd have both of those. Okay. I was, that's all, you don't need to comment. I don't know. Don't you agree?

Like a cult hit, because that's what I feel like, right, but also it's a different, it's a very, it's, it's a very, it's a great piece of work

that is, uh, that fits this new medium. Yes. Really well, in my opinion, which is, um,

Okay. I'm just trying to understand. Because what do you mean? Time's relative. Yeah. See, a guy's on a train. And he's passing a station. Now, what if someone on a station throws an orange?

See, that's what I'm hearing simultaneously while you're talking about the other thing. Because time folds. Because you're existing. Yeah, you're on both folds at the same time. Oh, right. And it's 1986. And hi, I'm Lisa. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, I'm also at that point in my life now, too. I'm traveling. I'm existing on this plane in 2006, but I'm also right now in 1986, and I'm buying tons of Lisa Kudra's stock. And now I'm rich. It was exciting when I went public.

I made it killing. You know, some of you started buying Lisa when friends hit the air, but not me. I was there in the olden days when we were in a weird basement doing improv. Oh, right. For absolutely nobody. I think that one night we had one person in the, there was a rat. They applauded and they had good, they had good suggestions.

But they were the same suggestions. Virulent disease, rat, you said that already. You were so bad at me. It felt like there were days we were doing this. You were just looking at me and were like, why are we doing this? I was. I was. We were performing in a theater that was at the bottom of the Scientology Center and no one would come in.

And there was one person, I think one night there was one or two people in a theater that, and we did our show anyway. We were like, the real pros perform even when there's one or two people. Let's go. And then afterwards, I was just embittered. Oh. Yeah, you were bad. That's rough, though. And she was my, you know, so honest.

Elisa is always super honest with me. and I just, she would, when I would be down or if someone was doing performances that were hacky, I would put my head in my hands like this and she'd say, they can see you. You're being a dick. And I'm like, oh, right, you're right, you're right, I forgot. That's subtle compared to what you were doing.

You know what you were doing. What were you doing? What were you doing? I don't know. Oh, pulling my hair out. What the fuck? You know that bit, that funny bit when he's like, in so much,

Air out. So it's a little more than just theirs. I know. What? I'm saying I... I'm saying you're a terrible person. Basically, I guess. Wow.

That's not nice. Yeah. That's not a nice thing for a guest to do. I wore my heart on my sleeve. I know. When it came to comedy. Yeah. And that was not always a good thing.

And I needed to just be... I just felt like it's good for us to get some... You just need to put a sheet over me. when someone went up to do a nerd character and had tape around the middle of their glasses and was going, I've been working on a new formula and I like computers.

And Lisa just needed to have, you need to have a tarp that they put over a barbecue outdoors. You just need to have one that you put over me so that they couldn't see that I wanted to die. Wait, who's going?

Oh, you're going up? Okay. Give me a second. Conan, we're going to put the tarp on now. Yeah. Then you just see a quivering tarp with steam coming off of it. With fists coming out. Okay.

Listen, what is this beat-up Conan Day? Sona's not going to stand for that? Yeah, I am. I am. You're going to encourage you. No, yeah, yeah. No, I am. I'm going to encourage you.

I'm going to laugh and I'm going to enjoy it. Yeah, I'm good. But to me, it's not beating up on you. It's just you had a highly attuned antenna for subpar comedy. And that's the whole thing about classes, everyone's learning what their clown is. Don't you hate that expression? Find your clown. Yeah. I mean, yeah, anyway. That's the groundling thing. Teachers are like, you know, you just got to find your clown and I get really mad. The one thing I still can't do to this day is improv

warm up exercises. And there have been, I didn't like them back in the 80s. And I just wanted to go out there and do the thing. And I didn't want to play these games backstage to have us all get in the mood or something. Me neither, not in the mood. And then, yeah, and it's these games like, blip-blop-bloop-blood. I look at you and go whip, and you look at me and go bloop. And you're always in an alley somewhere in Hollywood, and it smells like urine. And you're going, boop-bib-de-boop.

And I would say, can we just not do this? I will pay you. I will pay you if we don't have to do this. And be like, you have to do it, man. It's really good. We had to do that recently. We did. A few years ago.

We did a show for charity and backstage, again, in an alley in Culver City, I think. And someone said, okay, everybody, let's warm up. Let's play skittily-d-d-l-d-l-de-d-de. I know. What is that? What is that really? And I don't know what it is. You know?

No, I didn't know what the thing was. They were even telling the game. I didn't know either. And I said. But it was an involved thing. But first you had to like skidoo-d-d-d-it. Like, just like, no. And I was begging.

I was saying, can I just not do this? Yeah, why did you do it? No, I think we did it a little bit. We did it. We did it. We did it. Okay. Moving on.

Is it time? I think it's time. Yeah. I think we should go. I made the sound of a siren. I said, oh, I think someone got hurt somewhere. We better go inside. Oh, the cops are coming.

We better clear out. Is that a gun shot? Yeah. Capao! That's not a gun, Conan. That's a terrible gun. Now get back to your bloop. I said blub.

You got to say Anyway, that's just me. I wasn't billed for that. No, I didn't like it either. Yeah. I almost quit because I didn't like what I saw in the first improv class where it's like throw a baseball and be angry and they're just like, gur. I couldn't.

I just went, that's what I have to do. Maybe I'm not, this isn't for me. You know, it's interesting. It's not for me. I've always thought, and this is something that's true of legitimate. acting, which is not what I do, but the line between it being great and you absolutely humiliating yourself is so razor thin. And, you know, a lot of acting classes kind of you need to just put that stuff all aside and strip yourself of all your, and I think, of your defenses and then sob or

roll around on the floor or pretend you're a jelly bean or all that kind of stuff. And I thought, yeah, did you go like good jelly bean or? That was you being a jelly bean? I was like, yeah, yeah, yummy him. I love jelly bean. I go, okay. Well, that's a good jelly. Yeah.

But I don't know. I always thought, oh, no, all I am is if I weigh 190 pounds, 185 of it are defense mechanisms and then some hair and maybe some teeth. So I can't, I'm not going to get rid of all that stuff. I can't do it. I mean, I have my hats off to people that can do it. I have a lot of respect for actors. But you still use so much improv. You learned something. Both of you did learn a lot, I'm guessing, unless you already were just natural improvisers. I think both of us brought some of our own way we think to it. And then, yes, you learn great rules, great tools. Great tools. listening, talking, responding, and then just, and committing.

And that was the first thing I learned. Watching him, he was really committed to throwing a ball. And you didn't look. No, no, no. But there was no ball. He was pretending there was a ball. And it looked like he was throwing a ball. And he looked like a little angry, but not over the top.

No, you did it. And that's what acting is, which is why you can act. I let you say all that, you know, because I felt like you really wanted to. But no, you can. And you can act. You can act because you know how to listen and respond. Isn't that all it is? I guess.

I don't know what it is. I don't either. Yeah. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. All right. That's what I'll tell you. You? I don't know.

I don't know. I mean, maybe you have questions for Lisa because, you know, I know Lisa so well. We're done. Yeah. But I know Lisa so well that some. These are interesting interviews for me always because sometimes I think, well, we just talked about that at dinner. Right. So then I think, oh, I want to make sure that the people listening get some stuff that isn't just me because I know Lisa so well, you know?

Does that make sense? Yeah, I totally get. I think that I do have a lot of questions about you guys starting off together in terms of are you both kind of the same people as you were back then, you think? Yes, you are. I am. You don't think you are? I think I'm very much the same. I will tell you, we both had not great cars.

So you have better cars now? That was, no, I'm just talking about, like, we got to start somewhere that people can understand. What was my car? How do you remember? You had a Dotson Z? Yeah. And it was fine. You had a 280 Z?

You had a 280 Z. That's a nice. No, it was a fine car. I'm just saying it was, it was a great. It wasn't always clean. Sports car. And then... Oh, no, my cars were never clean, and I smoked.

Yeah. Yeah. You did? Yeah. What? I don't know. I did. Of course I did.

Yeah. For 20 years. Yeah. Oh, my God. Yeah. Pack a day. No, Lisa. Well, what?

I did it just part-time poorly. And I used to say you could do better at smoking. You could... I would get mad. You'd be smoking, but not enough. And I'd be like, come. Are you waiting or out? Are you winning a about?

You got to be a three-pack-a-day smoker, Lisa. Did you ever smoke? No, my God. If I, no, if I smoked, I would look. I was very aware that if I smoked, I would look like a kid who got into a pack of cigarettes. And like the teacher came by and went, put those down, Augie. I'm picturing you next to Lisa though with those candy cigarettes.

Yeah, yeah, puffing little powdered sugar. Oh, and I started smoking this summer. I was at Harvard. I went to Harvard summer. We were there at the same time because you went, you were there in the summer. We were there at the same time. And I used to work on the lampoon in the summers there. So I never missed a summer there.

And I was there one summer. And that's when I started smoking because those fucking bugs, those flying water bugs, as big as your fit. What does that have to do with you needing to smoke? Who says there's too many bugs? I need to smoke. Why? Because it terrified me. It stressed me out so much.

I didn't tell you the part that made it so bad as I'm sleeping, and I hear a jet has flown into my room. Oh, God. Okay? Because it's these old crappy buildings next to the river, and there's no screens on them, but there's no air conditioning because, you know, it's the East Coast. And, well, that's how it shows. Take that, East Coast. You, East Coast, in the 80s. And it was an old, an old charming dorm building.

And so the windows were open. And I went, what? Like something mechanical flew into the room. It was the loudest. And there was a giant water flying cockroach water bug this big. You're looking like, I don't know what she's talking about. No, no, no. The whole time I was there.

Yeah. I didn't see a bug. No, there can be some big bugs, but it never made me think, I need a smoke. Okay. And then it was on my, and it was just like on my wall. So now it's this big. On my wall and I went, okay.

And I grabbed my shoe, dumbass, throwing a tennis shoe, that's way too slow. Yep. As I throw it, it's flying toward my head. And then I couldn't sleep. And, you know, there were cigarettes somewhere and I just started smoking. And it calmed me down because nicotine is wonderful. Oh.

It's really good. It's good stuff. Never had it. Yeah. And then another one flew in and they became. pets. There was no getting them out and there was no choice. He's got them little toys. Figured out their favorite food. He had them for 14 years. You know what Robert Smigel said to me once? He looked at me when I was being insane about something and tightly wound and he said,

you're the only person I know who would be healthier if he smoked. That smoking and the breathing and the nicotine, it would extend your, he said, Conan, it would extend your life. It's bad for everyone else, but you, and I was, think about that sometimes, because Robert's been right about a lot of things. And now I think at my age, if I started now, I'm like, come on, how much damage could I do? No, but this has nicotine in it. So, oh, nicotine gum. Yeah. Look, I didn't even take one, but I have it. This is turning into an ad for starting to smoke, which I don't want it to be, although I'm a little intrigued. Well, I don't...

Wait, but I do want to say something because you said, are you different. And here's... You are a little different. How? I mean, we should be. Shouldn't we? Yeah, yeah.

Don't you think? Sure. Okay. But you had told, like, when we met... Different from when I was in 1986. Well, yeah. I mean, I should hope so. I don't think you're as tightly wound.

No, I'm not. Okay, good. He was worse than this. Okay. No, she's absolutely right. Working for you. You have been gotten a lot more chill. Yeah.

Yeah. I see that too. But he told me that he would be so tightly wound. Like something I can't, either I don't remember, I just don't want to say. No, because you were telling me something happened to college and it upset you. And you sat and you quietly just like took a part of chair. Yeah. Really just like quietly.

Yeah. Patiently. Yeah. With rage. Wow. Yeah. Something in the comedy realm hadn't gone my way and I went back to my room. there was a very sturdy wooden chair that they have at Harvard that has like the Harvard

insignia on it. And I quietly was pulling out all of the pieces of the chair. Yeah, I had that in me. I have, there's a, there's a guy in here who scares me. But is that scary? Because maybe this is scary. You told me that story and I went, yeah. Right. Yeah, yeah. Because you can't actually He doesn't, yeah. I went. In front of anybody. No, no, I would never turn that on anyone. Yeah.

The person I beat up on mostly is me. And writers who need a physical beating every now and now. Sure. Well. No, I, yeah. But I mean, we've, of course we both change. I think having kids changes you too. Yeah.

Yeah. Like, I love, and I said this recently on someone else's podcast, but so much of being young is being narcissistic. Mm-hmm. So it's necessary. You kind of have to be a narcissist when you're young and it's got to be all about you and your problems have to be the biggest thing in the world because you are going through life and it's the stakes are big. And then once my daughter showed up and then later my son, I remember instantly knowing,

oh, yeah, I don't count anymore. I'm not, I get it. Yeah. And liking it. Like, it's about them. Yeah. I've got to be here for them. And just even thinking about it, I'm much calmer.

Yeah. So I, yeah, needed to be having kids when I was 15. That's what you were built for. Yeah, exactly. All of us. All of us. All right, kids, settle down. Dad, why do you have acne?

Shut up. I got to go to high school now. Well, not yet, but next year. You guys settle down. I'm going to go watch Star Trek reruns. Well, I think we're all thrilled. Anytime you drop in. Thanks.

And I'm so excited for the new season of the comeback, which is a jewel. It's just so beautifully made and really looking forward to it. And I love you. You're one of my favorite people in the history of the world. Oh, come on. Seriously. Yeah, you are mine too. You just did a me too, yeah.

Okay. I mean, come on. I don't think you gushed enough. Yeah, it wasn't enough. Thank you for your thank you. Mail it. Oh, shit. There comes a bird with it.

If you'd give me your address, I would. Yay, let's play. Squib, stop. Bibbibu. Got a warm up for improv. Beat it, bea. Beepa. Beasie, beat him.

Lisa Kudrow. Peace out. Tupac. Okay, I'm going to break into this programming now with urgent, urgent news update. David Hopping just saw the backstreet boys at the sphere. And whatever you're doing, if you're driving right now, I want you to pull over to the side of the road. If you're listening, cooking dinner, dinner, I mean, just order, order out. Because this is just too important. David, what was this experience like? Backstreet boys, the sphere. Paint the picture

because America wants to know. Okay. Hi, America. It was on my... America just hung up. It's just one person named America. Yeah, it's America Ferrara. She does not want to hear this story. It was on my birthday. We drove to Vegas.

Got there with no traffic. We got there under four hours, which... That's nice. A when. People love that part of the story. And then... Whenever you hear about seeing an iconic band at the sphere, people's...

People's favorite story is about the commute. Okay, I love that you consider the Backstreet Boys iconic. This is... I'm nice. Please. You didn't see my, I put little quotes around it.

Okay. No, come on, they're a big deal. I love the back street boys. I'm not, I'm not gonna, I just didn't, I didn't know they were your cup of tea. I'm just saying this is a huge band,

whether or not I know all their songs. I know a few of them. Let's get to the place. Do it before it's not done doing. Which goes. Yeah. Do it for it's not done. Hey, hey, do it.

She's all that and a corn sandwich. They have some great songs that are part of the American experience. Yeah. But anyway, just get to the good part. We got to the sphere. Good. Then we stopped and we got canned peaches. Sorry, go ahead.

I got a drink and a souvenir cup has all their faces on it. Then we walked, we had standing on the floor. Have you been to the sphere? I haven't been to this year yet. Because like, Son and I get excited about like the little things in life. Yeah. Walking into this, seeing the huge screen was everything. And then everyone stuck to,

you were supposed to wear all white to the concert. Why? Everyone, because it's like their Millennium album cover. They're all wearing white. Oh, I thought they were all saving themselves for marriage.

Which I admire. Like a virginal thing. They're virginal, yeah. They're all like pushing 60. They're like, When the time comes, I want it to be special. And now from my next hit, gotta get going to the place where we go.

Yeah, that's a beautiful. big one. Everyone stuck to the theme, though. Everyone wore white. That's great. And then they came out and I've never seen anything like this. Like, it was like space theme. So there's like a spaceship above you.

And it's like, everyone's like looking up. I missed them even coming out on the stage because the visuals were just so cool. So I'm getting the sense they didn't need to be there. They did. Their music was everything. Well, they could play the music and then you could look at your spaceships and then, you know, whatever. They got anybody get up there. No, no.

They needed to be there. Eduardo's going soon. Are you going to the back street boys? No, no, no, no. I'm going to catch No Doubt. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm taking my wife and my niece, my goddaughter.

I don't know if they've ever had a comedy show, though. You should try to be like the first person. You know how I prefer to watch No Doubt? When they premiere on my show in New York. Oh, what a flex. In 1993. What a flex. Mike drop!

So, the sphere. Yeah. I want to go to... Here's what I want to do. I want to go to the sphere when they're featuring something that in no way is enhanced or benefited by the sphere.

Do you know what I mean? I want to go when all they're doing is someone's playing a banjo and they're rebroadcasting Walter Cronkite's last episode of the news. And it's just a regular news program where at the end he's...

And they just run that a couple of times and someone plays a banjo. And it's all around you on the sphere. No special effects. It's just Walter Cronkite saying it's been an honor and a pleasure and, you know, take care and be well. Yeah. Or something that doesn't even use the screen at all. It's like two people having a guest lecture on like AI.

And they're not even turning the sphere on. No, no, you use the screen because at one point the two people giving a lecture mentioned I'll be talking about this at a separate conference, which is on March 3rd. And just the date March 3rd comes up in tiny font. in small font on one part of the sphere. Those are the things I want to go see at the sphere. I want my dream is to misuse the sphere. Let me be very clear. I will go and do something at the sphere

that completely misuses that amazing technology. To a PowerPoint presentation on like a timeshare in Vegas. Yeah. And then you're just like holding a thing. And it's just one little part. It's one little square that could even see it. No, here's a thing. You can kind to see it.

That's important to me. You can kind to see it. And I go on and on. Oh, my God. Yeah, that's how I want to use the sphere. But anyway, so you had a good time? Had a great time. It was, yeah, and then at the end,

I was actually texting Sona after because it's just a bunch of drunk Backstreet Boys fans all walking in some hallways, singing their songs together. Yeah. And what else could you want? And if you look closely, some of the Backstreet Boys are in with them.

Hey, wait a minute. Isn't that Jubjub? What are their names? Well, there's N. There's A.J. There's Nick. There's Nick. I don't know.

Is there a Nick? Yeah. Okay. I want to just make that up. Is everyone okay? Everyone's healthy? Everyone's healthy. Yeah.

They're all there. Okay. It's like the new kids on the block also are in Vegas. They're all there. Oh, I know. They're there. I'm trying to pick a date to go see them. You need to.

Do those guys ever join forces, you know? Yeah. Or is it like Marvel and D.C. Where that's not allowed. No, they've toured together before. Oh, they all get together? Yeah. Oh, I just thought I had this cool idea.

Oh, no. You thought you. And can they then join up with another group like, you know, Minuto or is, can you ever get another group that joins them? So those two United Backstreet Boys and new kids on the block, but then who else could join them? We need an in sync reunion. Oh. Insync. I mean, it can be 98 degrees.

It could be O-Town. What if you got them all together? I mean, all together. And then didn't let them perform. Wait, what do they do? They're giving the PowerPoint presentation? No. You get them all together backstage and then you lock the door.

And then I go out and I show a little time share lecture. It's projected on one small part and they have to watch it and they can't get out. They can't get out. The ultimate bait and switch. I love it. You'll be murdered by a lot of older women. Hey, a lot of people have tried. A lot of people have tried.

Old women are taking a swing at me every day. All right. There's my pitch, Sphere. Call me. Peace out. Tupac. Conan O'Brien needs a friend with Conan O'Brien, Sonam of Sessian and Matt Goorley.

Produced by me, Matt Goreley. Executive produced by Adam Sacks, Jeff Ross, and Nick Leow. Theme song by The White Stripes. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy. Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair, and our associate talent producer is Jennifer Samples. Engineering and mixing by Eduardo Perez and Brendan Burns. Additional production support by Mars Melnik. Talent booking by

Paula Davis, Gina Batista, and Britt Con. You can rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, and you might find your review read on a future episode. Got a question for Conan? Call the Team Coco Hotline at 669-587-2847 and leave a message. It too could be featured on a future episode. You can also get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign up at SiriusXM.com slash Conan. And if you haven't already, please subscribe to Conan O'Brien needs a friend wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.